the region. he is in new york this morning. i have david brooks of "the new york times"ande.j. dionnewiththe "washington post" here with me in washington. richard, let me start with you. the president called on israel to renew efforts to the creation of a palestinian state. he helped restore the israeli/turkish relationship. so what else do you think he can return with that he can actually build upon? >> well, i think the reconciliation between turkey and israel is something that's very important, because i wouldn't see the chances right now of an israeli/palestinian reconciliation, but i do think the middle east recognizes that there are urgent regional matters as syria implodes that the region needs to have some sort of summit and turkey is going to play a big part of that. so i think coming out of this, you're going to see istanbul emerging as a major destination for diplomatic relations. i think that was the way to view the middle east trip right now in a regional contrast not so much about getting israelis and palestinians to talk. >> and, richard, you talk about some of the pr

's in new york this morning. thank you very much, richard. to david]ande.j. dionne. whatdid the president accomplish in terms of how did he perform? that's a big aspect of the trip. >> it was a triumph. he hasn't brought peace to the mideast but the right loved it. the left loved it. he gave a strong, really strong endorsement and vocalization of what zionism is all about. politically or policy wise he moved us away from settlement issues back to a pre-obama policy which says israel is not going to be giving away land as long as extremism is on the march. we have to have some peace process so the moderates in the region can be strengthened. that's where america should be. that's where people on both sides want to be. he achieved that. >> e.j. dionne, there is the prospect of conflict that can roil the region from syria as well as the threat from iran. the president also has to prepare the american public for some kind of u.s. engagement. >> well, you know, i don't think he has to prepare the u.s. public yet for engagement. i think the supporters of the iraq war said it would be the big ba

america should be. that's where people on both sides want to be. he achieved that.>>e.j. dionne, thereis the prospect of conflict that can roil the region from syria as well as the threat from iran. the president also has to prepare the american public for some kind of u.s. engagement. >> well, you know, i don't think he has to prepare the u.s. public yet for engagement. i think the supporters of the iraq war said it would be the big bang in the middle east. well, it was, but it didn't work out the way they had hoped. they were arguing that it would create a new and democratic middle east. well, there has been the uprisings which may or may not have had anything to do with the iraq war but there's a lot of instability. but i think the president's trip was really important. he had three objectives and i think he achieved two of them. he had to get right with israeli public opinion. his standing in the polls there has been low and prime minister netanyahu could use obama as a kind of foil for the last four years. i think he clearly achieved that. he had to re-establish the two st

of this is what is wrong with the party now. joining me now is melissa harris perryande.j. dionne. thanksfor being here tonight. >> thanks for having us. >> melissa? >> they couldn't decide who gets to be president. president obama gets to be president. right? and the reason he gets to be president is because he won a majority of not only the electoral college, which is sufficient, but also the popular vote. >> he would have won more if they had teamed up. >> i'm telling you, there's two or three states i'm certain we could have given over. >> right. >> look, i am convinced that part of what we're seeing now in the republican party is a kind of -- like they were so sure that they could not change the minds of voters but suppress voters from having an opportunity to put their own opinions on those ballots that they are at a loss because they didn't know what to do on the other side if they were going to lose. we really saw that shock from republican operatives on election night. >> we saw the meltdown of rove on fox. >> right. >> you know, e.j., when you look at rnc chairman priebus and h

times"ande.j. dionnewithme in washington. richard, let me start with you. the president called on israel to renew efforts to the creation of a palestinian state. he helped restore the israeli/turkish relationship. so what else do you think he can return with that he can actually build upon? >> reporter: well, i think the reconciliation between turkey and israel is something that's very important because i wouldn't see the chances right now of an israeli/palestinian reconciliation but i do think the middle east recognizes that there are urgent regional matters as syria implodes that the region needs to have some sort of summit and turkey is going to play a big part of that. so i think coming out of this, you're going to see istanbul emerging as a major destination for diplomatic relations. i think that was the way to do the middle east trip right now in a regional contrast not so much about getting israelis and palestinians to talk. >> and, richard, you talk about some of the private discussions going on between the president and benjamin netanyahu and king abdullah of jordan. t

to proper treatment. people like norman lear, david broder,ande.j. dionne, andrichard cohen of the "washington post," michiko kakutoni of the "new york times," a wonderful name, are all saying the same thing: that we cannot go on the way we have been. we cannot expect to father children out of wedlock and bring them up in some kind of moral order and atmosphere that will promote the general welfare. we just cannot continue to operate as a totally secular society without at least considering the things of god and the ten commandments and some of these other eternal truths. and so i find this very, very hopeful when bill bennett has a book on the best seller list called "the book of virtues," or when norman lear says what we really need in america is a new examination of spiritual principles or a spiritual renewal. so i'm very optimistic and hopeful. >> at the same time "the book of virtues" is on the best seller list, you have a howard stern book on the best seller list. it's not there anymore, but how do you explain that? >> well, i think it's a question of the wheat and the